Library users' needs in relation to social development : masters thesis

Bozdoganova, Mariche (author), Vilar, Polona (mentor)

The subject of my master thesis is the research of the users' needs in some of the public libraries in the Republic of Macedonia. Every library exists to serve the needs of its community. This work is pointed towards the fundamental elements and aspects of satisfying the users through variety of services in the public libraries, as well as the impact of the new information-communication technology that has entered through the big door in the libraries in Macedonia. The research is based on a survey of users and potential users of library services. This work includes users and potential users of the services and the information sources in the public libraries with wide range of professional background: pupils, students, employed users, academic professionals, unemployed users or retired users. The study covers survey participants with different views and different needs and expectations from a library use. The survey questionnaire incorporates questions about different aspects of the participants' needs and expectations covering different needs, behavior, information resources, and desired functions for services, retrieval and interfaces in libraries. The results are obtained through statistical analyses and clustering methods. Their result statements of the users should give a direction to which the libraries should act in the future for a more efficient satisfaction of the usersʼ needs. As libraries entered the new century, they are encountering numerous developments that present both challenges and opportunities. Some of the key developments include: a user-centered orientation, a team-based work environment, steady or diminishing resources, and more pervasive technology. The results are aimed to induce other subsequent researches relating the needs and the expectations of the users and present a starting point for the future generations, which would show interest for this kind of analyses in the sphere of the librarianship. This work should picture the present condition of the public librarianship in Macedonia and public library users in the information society, where the innovations of the communication technology play a major role. The overall objective of the study is to assess the efficiency of the public libraries in relation with the usersʼ needs, including the selection and the adequacy of the library stock, use of the library and its services by the actual and potential users, as well as their users' expectations and behavior. The study employed descriptive as well explorative research design without proposing any hypothesis for testing. Both primary and secondary data were used, but primary data were mainly used to analyze the present knowledge and behavior. The work assumes a particular importance because, until now, no evaluation had been made of the library users' needs at the public libraries in Macedonia; therefore the purpose of this research was therefore to fill the gap as there is an ever growing need to evaluate the direction of changes the usersʼ needs and preferences. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were made, typical of social science research. The results obtained will certainly help to improve the usability of the public libraries. It should be considered here, in what extent the traditional library has retained its position, or in what degree the new technology has left a place for the classic library and the traditional way of working in the age of information society.

• Language: English
• Keywords: public library, users' needs, satisfying the needs, library services, masters thesis, Macedonia
• Work type: Master's thesis/paper
• Typology: 2.09 - Master's Thesis
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Place of publishing: Ljubljana
• Publisher: [M. Bozdoganova]
• Year: 2012 - 2012
• Number of pages: 88 f.
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-72196
• UDC: 027.7(497.7):004.738.52(043.2)
• COBISS.SI-ID: 52622946
• Publication date in RUL: 08.09.2015

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Bibliotečne potrebe uporabnikov v zvezi z družbenim [razvojem]

Abstract

Predmet mojega magistrskega dela je raziskava potreb uporabnikov v nekaterih javnih knjižnicah v Republiki Makedoniji. Vsaka knjižnica obstaja zato, da služi potrebam svojih skupnosti. To delo je usmerjeno proti temeljnim elementom in vidikom zadovoljstva uporabnikov storitev javnih knjižnic, kot tudi vpliv nove informacijsko-komunikacijske tehnologije, ki je vstopila skozivelika vrata v knjižnicah v Makedoniji. Raziskava temelji na anketi uporabnikov in potencialnih uporabnikov storitev knjižnice. To delo vključuje uporabnike in potencialne uporabnike storitev in informacijskih virov v splošnih knjižnicah s številnimi strokovnimi izkušnjami: dijak[e], študent[e], zaposlene uporabnike, akademske strokovnjak[e], brezposeln[e] uporabnik[e] ali upokojene uporabnike. Študija zajema anketirance z različnimi pogledi in različnimi potrebami in pričakovanji do uporabe knjižnice. Vprašalnik vsebuje vprašanja o različnih vidikih uporabniških potreb in pričakovanj, ki pokrivajo različne potrebe po storitvah, njihovo vedenje, informacijske vire in želene funkcije storitev, iskanja in vmesnikov v knjižnicah. Rezultati so pridobljeni s statističnimi analizami in povezovanjem metod. Rezultati raziskav uporabnikov morajo dati smer, kako naj knjižnice delujejo tudi v prihodnje za učinkovitejšo zadovoljstvo uporabnikov. Ko knjižnice vstopijo v novo stoletje, se srečujejo [s] številn[imi] dogodk[i], ki predstavljajo tako izzive [kot] priložnosti. Nekater[i] izmed ključnih dogodkov vključujejo: uporabniško usmerjenost, [ekipno] delovno okolje, stalno zmanjševanj[e] sredstev, in bolj prodorno tehnologijo. Rezultati so namenjeni za pospeševanje drugih kasnejših raziskav, ki se nanašajo na potrebe in pričakovanja uporabnikov ter predstaviti izhodišča za prihodnje generacije, ki bi pokazali zanimanje za tovrstne analize na področju bibliotekarstv[a]. To delo bi moralo predstavlja[ti] sedanje stanje javnega knjižničarstva [in uporabnikov] v Makedoniji v informacijski družbi, kjer novosti komunikacijske tehnologije igrajo pomembno vlogo. Splošni cilj študije je oceniti učinkovitost javnih knjižnic v zvezi s potrebami uporabnikov, vključno z izborom in ustreznost[jo] knjižnične zaloge, uporabo knjižnice in njenih storitev, ki jih [vidijo] dejanski in potencialni uporabnik[i], kot tudi uporabnišk[a] pričakovanj[a] in vedenja. Študija [je] opisna in raziskovaln[a]in ni predlagala nobenih hipotez za testiranje. Tako na primarni[kot] sekundarni podatki so bili uporabljeni, [primarni] podatki so bili v glavnem uporablj[eni] za analizo sedanjega znanja in vedenja. Delo [ima] poseben pomen, ker do sedaj ni bila narejena ocena knjižnica potreb uporabnikov javnih knjižnic v Makedoniji in namen raziskave je bil torej zapolnitev [te] vrzeli, saj je vse večja potreba po [takih] ocenah. Dobljeni rezultati bodo zagotovo pomagali izboljšati uporabnost javnih knjižnic. Treba je upoštevati, v kolikšni meri je tradicionalna knjižnica ohranila svoj položaj, ali v kolikšni meri je nova tehnologija pustil[a] prostor za klasične knjižnice in tradicionaln[i] način dela v času informacijske družbe.